this post was submitted on 24 Apr 2025
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Blåhaj Lemmy is a Lemmy instance attached to blahaj.zone. This is a group for questions or discussions relevant to either instance.

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This post is "FYI only" for blahaj lemmy members. It is not a debate, and is not intended for non blahaj lemmy users to weigh in and offer opinions.

I recently received reports of a feddit.uk user espousing transphobia. Specifically, this was a feddit.uk user refusing to use the word cis, repeating the "adult human female" dog whistle, and claiming that trans women are not women. I approached a member of the feddit.uk admin team and raised my concerns and sought clarification of their stance on posts like this, where the transphobia is mostly dogwhistles, and "civil disagreement" on the validity of trans folk.

I was told by the feddit.uk admin that their preferred response is this kind of transphobia is to "sort it out through discussion and voting". However, the comments in question are currently more upvoted than downvoted, and little "sorting out" has occurred. The posts remain in place.

At this point, the admin stopped responding to my messages despite being active elsewhere on lemmy. When it became clear they were ignoring my messages and had no intention of removing the posts in question, I made the decision to defederate the instance.

I know some folk agree with the feddit.uk admins approach of pushback through discussion and voting, but this instance is not designed to be that kind of space. Blahaj lemmy is meant to be a place where we can avoid the rampant transphobia universally visible on nearly every other social media platform, and where we can exist without needing to debate our right to do so.

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[–] Kimiko@lemmy.blahaj.zone 5 points 4 days ago (1 children)

These are tough calls to make. On the one hand I applaud the step taken to protect the community hosted by this instance, on the other I also find that simply cuting ties and conversation only furthers the divide.

Sure we should not have to defend the validity of our existence, and also realise that most hate leaves little place for heathy discussions. But in avoiding their echo chambers I find we quiet ours too, we renounce our visibility for our comfort and theirs.

I guess I wish there were other ways to warn users about potentially triggering instances rather than outright defederating, but I do understand your main motives.

[–] ada@lemmy.blahaj.zone 7 points 4 days ago

You are absolutely welcome to maintain an account on another instance and here if you want to have the option of having those discussions. And I don't mean that in a "Well, there's the door" way. What I'm trying to say is that if you don't want to have the types of conversations you're talking about, it's currently very hard to find spaces that make that possible. That's why lbz exists in the form it does. However, I completely understand that some people do want that opportunity. And if that's you, you're welcome to maintain multiple accounts. You'll always have a space here, but you can also use instances that give you access to less protective spaces.

[–] yuri@pawb.social 18 points 5 days ago

ada continues to be the realest MVP

[–] Draconic_NEO@lemmy.blahaj.zone 37 points 6 days ago

If instances aren't willing to moderate themselves when it comes to transphobia they should get the boot. I hope more instances defederate feddit.uk over this. Might make them change course and rethink if they should maybe moderate better.

[–] jac@lemmy.blahaj.zone 82 points 6 days ago

As a denizen of terf island myself, all I can say is; fucking good! Our enemies hide behind statements like "just asking questions", but there's no room for debate when it comes to people's rights and look where that thinking has gotten us.

The time for debate is over. I want my rights back.

[–] some_guy@lemmy.sdf.org 36 points 6 days ago

Transphobia has no place on anything I use. I may not be one of the folks on your instance, but I still appreciate the good work.

[–] cupcakezealot@lemmy.blahaj.zone 52 points 6 days ago

hard mode: uk stop being transphobic for two seconds.

Thanks ADA and I appreciate all the work that you've done. This is why I love Blahaj Lemmy, I dont want to deal with that nonsense.

[–] FirstMajesticComet@lemmy.blahaj.zone 12 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

Good riddance, fuck TERF island. If communities don't like this change they can move to an instance that isn't filled with and supported by transphobes.

[–] fadingembers@lemmy.blahaj.zone 15 points 5 days ago

Thank you Ada. I really appreciate having a safe space like this.

[–] ghen@sh.itjust.works 13 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Calm discussion doesn't work, ridicule them and deplatform them.

They've only grown stronger because the neolibs want calm discussion between The people who want to exist and the bigots who hate them for existing.

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[–] SharkWeek@lemmy.blahaj.zone 64 points 6 days ago

Blahaj user and former Brit here ... well done Ada for consistency and transparency regarding this.

The whole "let it play out" attitude really says it all, it shows cowardice and a lack of leadership ... kind of like the current prime minister.

[–] anzo@programming.dev 40 points 6 days ago

Terf island strikes again!

Thank you for taking real direct action on issues like this. It keeps our community safe.

[–] ploot@lemmy.blahaj.zone 37 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

I appreciate this move. The nice thing about the Fediverse is that admins can take a step like this to protect the integrity of this instance, and users can still engage with that stuff if they create an account on another instance. I'll continue to argue with bigots elsewhere but I'm grateful for how the admins curate Blahaj Lemmy.

It's a shame how the UK seems to be heading backwards on human rights, and shameful how the UK government has decided to throw in with the bigots and embolden them.

[–] OctaviaMeowzly@lemmy.blahaj.zone 35 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

Ada trying not to slay challenge (Impossible)

[–] neatchee@lemmy.world 58 points 6 days ago

Another non-blahaj here to say FUCK YEAH, Ada.

Deplatforming works. Demanding civility from people under attack by disingenuous, insincere "intellectuals" is so much more than just tone policing; it's direct enablement of disenfranchisement and allowing the spread of harm.

It's easy to be bad. It's hard to be good. When bad people are allowed to express their evil ideologies, it is much easier for people to pick up the evil than for the righteous to defend the good.

We cannot be tolerant of intolerance.

So, again, FUCK YEAH, Ada. You rock for protecting your users AND the rest of the world by contributing to the deplatforming of bigots.

[–] driving_crooner@lemmy.eco.br 36 points 6 days ago

I'm coming from a small brazillian instance and we're also getting attacks on the brazillian trans community, on our case is the medical association, dictating that doctors couldn't treat trans kids.

I asked my admin to support you and to de federate them until they change their policy, hope other instances join too.

[–] Anarki_@lemmy.blahaj.zone 45 points 6 days ago

Based Blåhaj admin is based.

[–] v4ld1z@lemmy.zip 23 points 6 days ago

slay 💜💅🏻

[–] RandomVideos@programming.dev 23 points 6 days ago (2 children)

How did a transphobic comic get positive votes on lemmy?

[–] will_steal_your_username@lemmy.blahaj.zone 31 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

Unfortunately some kinds of transphobia gets upvoted now and then because cis people don't always understand what we're going through and what is hurtful or oppressive. Some people just have this stance that others should take things even if they have no understanding of what it's like to actually be the victim of systemic/societal discrimination.

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[–] CapriciousDay@lemmy.ml 11 points 5 days ago (2 children)

Damn. I don't want to engage with them either now. Are there any better UK instances? I'm getting sick and tired of the Starmer apologetics and general meltery on there anyway.

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[–] trannus_aran@lemmy.blahaj.zone 23 points 6 days ago

Thank you for keeping this community safe, I know this is never an easy decision and the job of moderating is often thankless 🫂 I really appreciate it

[–] 2hundredpancakes@lemmy.blahaj.zone 41 points 6 days ago (2 children)

Thanks for doing what you do.

It's ridiculous we are still having to deal with this in 2025. Just yesterday I had to see someone using the tslur as a "joke" under a .world post. Mods removed it. It's not hard to be decent, although some people decide to make it look like an impossible task. As far as I'm concerned, hate speech is not free speech...

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[–] druellambass@lemmy.world 13 points 5 days ago

Oh man, that's truly disheartening to see, especially how I noticed a lot more people that are being just unnecessarily mean 😟

Thank you for taking the appropriate steps to deal with this 😄

Thank you, Ada

[–] Zizzy@lemmy.blahaj.zone 31 points 6 days ago

Common Ada W

[–] muse@lemmy.blahaj.zone 12 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

Thank you Ada and mods. It's too easy to manipulate discussion and voting, which is why safe spaces were created.

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